Tearable shrink film cover including integral pull tabs



July 5, 1966 sow 3,259,235

TEARABLE SHRINK FILM COVER INCLUDING INTEGRAL PULL TABS Filed March 4,1964 Ronald E Sow/e 1N VENTOR.

Mm BY ym, 26m

United States Patent 3,259,235 TEARABLE SHRINK FILM COVER INCLUDINGINTEGRAL PULL TABS Ronald E. Sowle, Tomah, Wis., assignor of ninetypercent to Vanpak Products, Inc, a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Mar.4, 1964, Ser. No. 349,371 16 Claims. (Cl. 206-46) This invention relatesto a novel and useful tearable shrink film cover and more specificallyto a film cover or enclosure for an article including integral pulltabs, the film cover or enclosure being constructed of heat shrinkablefilm in order that it may be shrunk into tight embracing engagementwiththe article enclosed thereby when the enclosure is subjected toheat.

Shrink film covers or enclosures have been utilized for a number ofyears for packaging articles of irregular configuration. However, thearticle has heretofore been placed in an enclosure constructed of heatshrinkable film such as a bag and then the assemblage including the baghaving the article disposed therein has been heated. The heat causes theheat shrinkable film to contract and to tightly embrace the articledisposed therein. While this type of cover or enclosure forms anextremely satisfactory covering in most instances, it is sometimes quitedifiicult to remove such a covering inasmuch as it is disposed in tightembracing engagement with the article enclosed thereby. Although a sharpinstrument may be utilized to penetrate film covering and to tear thelatter so that it may be gripped for pulling from the article, the useof such a sharp implement involves the danger of damaging the articledisposed within the closure and is therefore not desirable.

Accordingly, it is the main object of this invention to provide atearable shrink film cover for articles including at least one integralpull tab whereby the pull tab may be readily grasped by a person wishingto strip the cover from the article, the cover being weakened alonglines defining a removable section of said cover on which said pull tabis disposed whereby the removable section may be readily parted from thecover by pulling on the pull tab in order to strip the removable sectionof the cover from the remainder thereof.

Another object of this invention, in accordance with the immediatelypreceding object, 'is to provide .a means whereby integral pull tabs maybe preformed on a shrink film cover in a simple and inexpensive mannerthereby maintaining the cost of the shrink film cover at a minimum.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tearable shrink filmcover including pull tabs which may be constructed in a manner so as'toreadily adapt the cover for enclosing substantially all shapes ofarticles.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein isto provide a tearable shrink film cover including integral pull tabswhich will conform to con ventional forms of manufacture, be of simpleconstruction and easy to remove so as to provide a device that will beeconomically feasible, long lasting and relatively easy to handle whenremoving the cover from the article enclosed thereby.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an article enclosed by the tearableshrink film cover of the instant invention which includes integralpulltabs;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of the embodiment ice illustrated inFIGURE 1 showing the manner in which the tearable shrink film cover maybe readily torn from the article disposed therein;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantiallyupon a plane indicated by section line 3-3 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the shrink film cover of the instantinvention showing the manner in which it may be prepared so as to defineintegral pull tabs before the article to be enclosed thereby is insertedtherein and the cover is heated to shrink the cover about the articleenclosed thereby.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10generally designates the tearable shrink film cover of the instantinvention which is illustrated in FIGURE 1 of the drawings tightlyenclosing an article referred to in general by the reference numeral 12including a pair of generally truncated cone-shaped opposite endportions 14 and 16 and a substantially cylindrical portion 18.

With attention now directed more specifically to FIG- UR-E 4 of thedrawings, it may be seen that the cover 10 comprises a bag generallyreferred to by the reference numeral 20 constructed of heat shrinkablefilm. The bag 20 is open at one end as at 22 and comprises a flattenedgenerally cylindrical member with the opposite flattened end edges ofone end of the bag '20 secured together as at 24 in any convient mannersuch as by thermo-welding.

It will be seen from a comparison of FIGURES 1 and 4 of the drawingsthat when the article 12 is disposed within the bag 20 that the upperclosed end of the bag will define unoccupied portions as at 26 and 28.These unoccupied portions 26 and 28 are flattened previous to thearticle 12 being inserted into the bag 20 and are coated with a shrinkresistant coating 30 which may be of any suitable substance such asvarnish, shellac or a pigmented ink which stilfens the shrinkablematerial and prevents it from shrinking when heated and adhering toanother part of the bag 20. The coated portions of the bag 20 defineopposite pull tabs 32 and 34. Before the article 12 is inserted in thebag 20, the opposite sides 36 and 38 of the bag 20 are weakened alongtear lines 40 and 42, respectively. The tear lines 40 and 42 are definedby aligned longitudinally spaced short cuts formed through the oppositesides 36 and 38. After the bag 20 has been weakened along the tear lines40 and 42, the article 12 may be inserted in the bag 20 from the openlower end 22 thereof. Thereafter, the assemblage formed by the bag 20:and the article 12 disposed therein is heated whereupon the non-coatedportions of the bag 20 will shrink into tight embracing engagement withthe article 12 as illustrated in FIGURE 1 of the drawings. Then, when itis desired to remove the bag or cover 20 from the article 12, the pulltabs 32 and 34 may be grasped as illustrated in FIGURE 2 of the drawingsand pulled apart whereupon the cover or bag 20 will tear along the tearlines 40 and 42 and enable the bag 20 to be readily removed from thearticle '12.

It is to be noted that the coating 30 may have heat conductingproperties such that the heat shrinkable and Weldable film disposedtherebeneath may be heated to an extent, when the assemblage defined bythe bag 10 and the article 12 enclosed thereby is heated, that the innersurfaces thereof will fuse together. In this manner, the pull tabs 32and 34 will be of stiff two-ply construction with the two-plies of eachpull tab being secured together.

Although the bag 20 has been illustrated as being generally rectangularand the article 12 has been illustrated as being in the form of anirregular member thereby enabling the bag 20 to define the unoccupiedareas or portions 26 and 28, it is to be understood that the bag 20would be of irregular configuration if the article 12 were regular inshape whereby the bag 20 would still define at least one unoccupiedportion which could be coated to form a pull tab. Further, it is to beunderstood that the cover may be in the form of a sleeve or any foldedor otherwise shaped enclosure and that the pull tabs formed thereon bycoating 30 will not adhere to the adjacent portions of the cover 10 asthey would if they were not coated when heated.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A shrink film cover including at least one pull tab, said covercomprising an enclosure member constructed of heat shrinkable film andadapted to receive therein an article to be packaged of a size and shapeleaving at least one portion of the area enclosed by said closure memberunoccupied by said article, at least portions of said closure memberdefining said one portion being coated with a shrinkage preventingcoating adhered to said portions and defining said one pull tab.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein one pair of sections of the lastmentioned portions of said closure member are disposed with their innersurfaces in surfaceto-surface contacting relation with the outersurfaces of said sections being coated with said shrinkage preventingcoating.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said enclosure member is of a sizeand shape adapted to define a pair of spaced areas enclosed by saidclosure member remaining unoccupied by said article, the portions ofsaid enclosure member defining said pair of spaced unoccupied areas ofsaid closure member each being coated with a shrinkage preventingcoating adhered thereto and defining a pair of said pull tabs.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said enclosure member comprises abag.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said enclosure member isof a sizeand shape adapted to define a pair of spaced areas enclosed by saidclosure member remaining unoccupied by said article, the portions ofsaid enclosure member defining said pair of spaced unoccupied areas ofsaid closure member each being coated with a shrinkage preventingcoating adhered thereto and defining a pair of said integral pull tabs,said enclosure member comprising a bag, the last mentioned portions ofsaid enclosure member being disposed on opposite sides of said bag.

6. The combination of claim 1 wherein said enclosure member is of a sizeand shape adapted to define a pair of spaced areas enclosed by saidclosure member remaining unoccupied by said article, the portions ofsaid enclosure member defining said pair of spaced unoccupied areas ofsaid closure member each being coated with a shrinkage preventingcoating adhered thereto and defining a pair of said integral pull tabs,said enclosure member comprising a bag, the last mentioned portions ofsaid enclosure member being disposed on opposite sides of said bag, saidbag including means defining a pair of longitudinal tear lines alongwhich said film is structurally weakened, saidtear lines defining a pairof sections of said bag disposed on opposite sides of a plane extendingthrough said bag and in which said tear lines lie, said coated portionsof said bag being disposed on corresponding sections.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein the other coated portions of saidbag are disposed on the other of the last mentioned sections.

the area enclosed by said closure member unoccupied, A

p at least portions of said closure member defining said one area beingcoated with a shrinkage preventing coating adhered thereto and definingsaid one pull tab.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said enclosure member is of a sizeand shape defining a pair of spaced areas enclosed by said closuremember unoccupied by said closure member remaining unoccupied by saidarticle, the portions of said enclosure member defining said pair ofspaced unoccupied areas of said closure member each being coated with ashrinkage preventing coating adhered thereto and defining a pair of saidintegral pull tabs.

10. The combination of claim 9 wherein said closure member comprises abag and said pull tabs are disposed on opposite sides of the closed endof said bag.

11. The'combination of claim 10 wherein said enclosure member comprisesa bag, the last mentioned portions of said enclosure member beingdisposed on opposite sides of said bag, said bag including meansdefining a pair of longitudinal tear lines along which said film isstructurally weakened, said tear lines defining a pair of sections ofsaid bag disposed on opposite sides of a plane extending through saidbag and in which said tear lines lie, said coated portions of said bagbeing disposed on one of said sections.

12. The method of packaging an article within a heat shrinkableenclosure member of a size and shape defining at least one unoccupiedarea within said enclosure when said article is disposed thereincomprising the following steps: coating at least some of the portions ofsaid enclosure member defining said one occupied area with shrinkagepreventing coating in a manner such that the coating adheres to saidsome portions, and heating said enclosure member to shrink all of saidenclosure member excepting the coated portions thereof tightly aboutsaid article.

13. The method of claim 12 including the step of coating portions ofsaid enclosure member defining a second unoccupied area within saidenclosure with shrinkage preventing coating before said step of heatingsaid enclosure member.

14. The method of claim 12 including the step of weakening said closuremember along a line passing between the first and second mentioned areasbefore said closure member is heated.

15. The method of packaging an article within a heat shrinkableenclosure member of a size and shape defining at least one unoccupiedarea within said enclosure when said article is disposed thereincomprising the following steps: coating at least some of the portions ofsaid enclosure member defining said one occupied area with a shrinkagepreventing coating in a manner such that the coating adheres to saidsome portions, inserting said article in said closure member, andheating said enclosure member to shrink all of said enclosure memberexcepting the coated portions thereof tightly about said article.

16. The method of claim 15 including the step of defining a secondunocupied area within said enclosure and coating at least some of theportions of said enclosure member defining said second unoccupied areawith a shrinkage preventing coating before said step of heating saidenclosure member, weakening said closure member along a line passingbetween the first and second mentioned areas before said article isinserted in said-closure member.

(References on following page) 5 6 References Cited by the Examiner2,912,102 11/ 1959 Scott 206-56 2,967,383 1/1961 Rumsey 53-14 UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 2 974 370 3 19 1 Baird- 2,189,174 2/1940 Hohl 229 533,124,242 3/ 1964 Gottily 206-46 2,554,841 5/1951 Rumsey 206-4533 5 Syder E. P) lmary Ex mi r. 2,835,433 5/ 1958 Swartz et a1 229-3 .5 GEORGEO. RALSTON, LOUIS G. MANCENE, 2,862,614 12/ 195 8 Battista 206-64Examiners.

2,897,087 7/1959 Lawlor 229-51 W. T. DIXSON, Assistant Examiner.

1. A SHRINK FILM COVER INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE PULL TAB, SAID COVERCOMPRISING AN ENCLOSURE MEMBER CONSTRUCTED OF HEAT SHRINKABLE FLIM ANDADAPTED TO RECEIVE THEREIN AN ARTICLE TO BE PACKAGES OF A SIZE AND SHAPELEAVING AT LEAST ONE PORTION OF THE AREA ENCLOSED BY SAID CLOSURE MEMBERUNOCCUPIED BY SAID ARTICLE, AT LEAST PORTIONS OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBERDEFINING SAID ONE PORTION BEING COATED WITH